For our November event we have invited freelance director and all-round paper craft master Mandy Smith to talk about this month’s global theme ‘Fantasy’. But before we all get to meet her at TQ, we’ve asked Mandy to answer a few questions about herself and what we can expect from her talk on Friday, November 25th:

What is your creative profession?

I suppose the clearest answer is “I’m an artist” for it covers a lot! However, I work a lot in film and stop motion so I am also an art director and director. I execute most of my work with one material - paper!

What will you be sharing with the CreativeMornings community on Friday 25 November?

I work with a material that everybody knows, or thinks they do, and this is where I like to have some fun. By taking something so ordinary and everyday as your starting point you can surprise people by the structures it forms or the stories you tell with it.

I’ve been lucky enough to constantly keep learning through new collaborations. From submerging a paper sculpture into fluid, to sending a sculpture off into space, paper has lead to some interesting adventures and so I hope to share some tales of what I’ve seen along the way. Things that I didn’t even think were possible!

How is Amsterdam and its creative scene special to you?

Amsterdam is special to me for it was the first place that inspired the creative journey I am on now. When I moved here I was initially working for an advertising agency and I loved how so many people had other interests and passions outside of work, like creating their own artwork, so they inspired me to find my passion. I think as this city has creative people from so many different countries you can always learn a new way of thinking or opinion by talking to people and that’s very inspiring. 

If stuck in a creative rut, what’s your trick to get free and let loose?

I’ve learnt that being busy on something else sparks creativity for future projects. So when I am on a job I use these creative thoughts to try and trigger new ideas for personal projects I can move on to after.

Is fantasy important to you?

Totally. When I first started to build my twisted paper buildings, I watched so many fantasy movies, and pretty much only fantasy movies, to keep inspiring myself that if other people are making a living off creating weird and wonderful things then maybe I can one day do so too. I think, when I left advertising to follow my paper dreams, if I hadn’t kept brainwashing myself with these dream big movies I might not have had the energy to do so.

How would you describe your ideal fantasy world?

I’d say I like fantasy worlds that play around with the world we’re in now and create a version of it where gravity isn’t the same or doesn’t exist like we know it. The most recent example of this being the production design of Dr Strange. I love seeing our world bend and distort to become something unbelievable.

Thank you Mandy for this interview! We look forward to your talk next week at TQ (Singel  542). For more information on the event and how to grab your (free!) ticket, visit the event page. Tickets go live on Monday the 21st at 9am.